Rule 5 pick Cesar Cabral is still on the Yankees roster, and he’s likely to stay there for a while. Although the Yankees have returned Brad Meyers to the Nationals, the team is going to give Cabral another chance to win a spot in the bullpen.

Brian Cashman said the Yankees are planning to keep Cabral throughout the winter and bring him back to spring training under basically the same set of Rule 5 limitations. Cabral would once again have to break camp on the big league roster, but this time he wouldn’t have to stay all year. He could be optioned at some point later in the season. First things first, he’d have to make the team, which he almost did this spring.

Back in March, Cabral was making a strong case with 12 strikeouts and two walks while jockeying with Clay Rapada for a job as the Yankees second lefty. Rapada won the job without a fight after Cabral suffered a stress fracture in the tip of his elbow.

“It’s frustrating because he had a really good camp for us,” Joe Girardi said the day the Yankees got the diagnosis. “I can’t tell you what was going to happen, but he had a good camp for us.”